The Hood

Rating:
Summary: Very Good for a 21 year old Author
Review: AS you read this book you will see all urban hoods are almost alike. This is Dante story I've heard the story and seen the game played before. Ebony does a wonderful job with the writing of the story its defintely a page turner you wanna learn more about each character, she does a wonderful job with Mrs.Davenport character, (Tech , Manny ,Styles and Nicky mother),she was a woman with the fear of God she taught her children good morals and values, plus she were a good wife. In spite of the life that were chose for them Tech and his family did prevail. I'm ready for the Game Chose me.

Rating:
Summary: One Day Read - I finished it in a few hours.
Review: Ebony Stroman takes you on an enjoyable ride through the hood with characters that you're gonna love. I was amazed that this was her debut novel, she writes like an established author. And the excerpt for her upcoming release (The Game Chose Me)had me on the edge of my seat. I'm looking forward to that book and many many more from Ms. Stroman

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books I've read in a while
Review: I bought this book at my train station in the Bronx and I was privileged enough to meet the wonderful authors of this novel. I think it's really important that we continue to support our young brothers and sisters who are working together to make good things happen, and these two definitely have my support. the plot from the beginning was well thought out and they didn't try to glamorize the whole idea of the hood. you could see the images that they were trying to convey, and anyone whether you're rich or poor, hood or wherever you from you can understand the struggle. Tech was a well developed character and I'm glad that there will be a sequel to this book. Tech is the symbol of any young man or woman with the odds against them that is trying to come out on top and out of the situations of their past. I enjoyed reading the novel and it is definitely worth a good reading and definitely a great buy! I hope that the authors ebony and dante continue to make moves in this writing game and may all their days be blessed. no one can say that they can't relate to what this story is about, it truly is a hot book. everyone has a tech in their life, everyone definitely got a nicky, there's always a "prince" or a "lite" in everyone's life and the story just flows greatly. Most importantly, they kept the power of prayer within the novel, too often many authors that write about the hood forget to do that. god don't forget the hood. if you're looking for a book that shows the struggle, the betrayal, the revenge and the overcoming of all these issues, this is definitely a hot book. i'm looking forward to reading the next book that comes out soon!! hope you enjoyed the review and keep supporting them, great things are about to happen!!

Rating:
Summary: MUST READ, MUST KEEP! !
Review: I looooooove this book, the characters and story are something dat you can really relate to. well if you are not from the hood, this book can definitely bring you the taste of danger, greed, betrayal and last but not least love between friends, family and enemies. it is kinda surprising to me that the author Ebony at such a young age, she can write this kinda book so well, she must have been thru alot in her life. wut a great book, i'll definitely buy her next one when it comes out and see if her skill has improved for the better! ! keep up the good work, girlie !

Rating:
Summary: The wise will always prevail................................
Review: I search Amazon.com for new books, and see what others have read. I came across a reviewer who said...."SO HOOD" So I hit the website www.ebandte.com OHMYGOD~DMX's "Where Da Hood at?" Is banging! (Ya'll know I got DOG LOVE 4 the Bro) So I'm checking the site, reading the reviews, and cover; and I'm like I have to have this book!

I can't front it's HOOD all the way through!

In Queens, New York we meet that infamous ass Davenport family. You know the ones' that are Ghetto superstars who have what everyone else wants.

So if you're living in the hood, then you know what's on everyone else mind...how can you take down a dynasty? Through violence, the system, and the game.

Manny's dead...Pops is a lifer...Tech's doing ten.... and Styles is left to fend for The Fam.
"Cept there's a whistle...time out...FLAG ON THE FIELD!!!
This penalty has taken from the offense resulting in loosing Styles to the game, and the yards added to the defense elevates Prince from Ghetto wannabe to a Ghetto Legend.

What else could possibly happen as Prince, "The Man" for the moment stakes his claim on Tech's skank of a chick Maria, and runs Queens to Durham free and clear of circumstances...

Enter Tech, just trying to do the ten he copped to, and get on with livin' his life. The streets that he loves so dearly have also cost him the most. But what can he do? He's born and bred in these streets. This time I won't get caught. He convinces himself, as he seriously plots ways to get at Prince.

Wise, an old head celly is just that WISE. (Wonderful, Insightful, Sincere, Earnest) 29 years in the joint, and he's able to detect the ones with the will to survive, and ones with, that'll return to jail syndrome. He knows Tech has the will, but he also has that street mentality embedded in him.

Is Tech's will strong enough to allow Prince the chance to keep breathing?
Will Prince be able to stand to see Tech out in the streets?

WHOA...This is not your average "HOOD" book. ALTHOUGH the ending is a cliffhanger......... (WHICH I HATE!) There are powerful messages, with relevant changes in everyone lives. God is so AWESOME! You better believe that when man fails God still has the last say. ....

Miss Ebony is truly a good person with a strong will to survive, and I look forward to shelving everything that she puts out.
~Blessings~


Rating:
Summary: NO Book Hotter....
Review: If you ain't read this sugar-honey-ice-T you ain't read nothing. It's no other book even coming close to this one. I just wanna thank homegirl at the book stand who told me to cop this one (you was right babygirl). I wanted Dutch but I got this one instead and I loved it. I loved the grimness in Prince...how could you do that to ya own man? Tech was a gangsta and Maria was...well you gotta read it. I'm just happy I don't have a Maria in my life. I would get into more details but I don't wanna ruin it for the ones who have not yet copped it. But let me tell you this; that dude "Wise" was deep. Every young man needs a Wise in they life, he was just a character in the book and I learned alot from dude. Who developed his character; Ebony Stroman or Dante "Te-shoota" Clarke. Which ever one of y'all did it is deep or both of y'all are deep cause Wise was a deep dude. I'll leave it at that cause when it comes to this book I could go on forever but like I said, I don't wanna ruin it for y'all. If you read the book you understand where I'm coming from; if you haven't once you read the book you'll see for yourself. HOLLA...And o yeah: Dutch was good too. I still ended up copping that the next week.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: it is a page turner! the characters, the action you are there.
The strength, the actions and the faith entwined into one!
Keep writing and hurry up with the next novel!

Rating:
Summary: SO HOOD!!!
Review: THIS BOOK IS SO HOT!!! I LOVED THE WAY ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE BROUGHT TO LIFE. PRINCE WAS A LOW-DOWN-DIRTY-DOG! MARIA WAS A SKANKE, NICKY WAS LIVE AND TECH IS MY BOO. I FELT LIKE I WAS INSIDE THE BOOK; THAT'S HOW I LIKE TO FEEL WHEN I READ A BOOK. OVERALL, I COULD RELATE TO THIS BOOK IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. I'D RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE (EVEN MY BROTHER READ IT AND HE DON'T READ SO THAT'S A MIRACLE)FOR A FIRST TIME WRITER/PUBLISHER YOU DID YA THING EB! TERI WOODS; WATCH OUT... WHEN IS YOUR NEXT BOOK COMING OUT E?

Rating:
Summary: THE BOMB!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This book was nothing short of the bomb! I met Ebony Stroman personally and she signed my book. She's a really young, nice and pretty lady and talented writer. The ending could've been a little different but still in all it didn't take nothing away from the content of the book. I was literally in tears after reading this book. I'm trying to wait patiently to read "The Game Chose Me" from the one chapter I read in the back of "The Hood" I know that joint is gonna be fire! What it all boils down to is "The Hood" is a really good read and I would recommend it to ANYONE. Enjoy the read; I know I did and I'll be reading anything else she puts out.

Rating:
Summary: Ambitious and entertaining first offering!
Review: Without any spoilers, the protagonist, Tech Davenport, is in prison serving a five-to-ten year sentence for murdering the killer of his brother, Manny. Tech's enemy, Prince becomes emboldened to act upon his treacherous impulses, believing that Tech's sentence is life without the possibility of parole. Prince murders Tech's brother in cold blood, which steers Tech to plan vengeance as his release date nears. Tech's journey and the people that surround him encourage him to become a better person, but fate has its own plan for him...

I purchased this book because I wanted to give the urban fiction genre a fair chance before I wrote it off as completely hopeless. I find that modern urban fiction generally pales in comparison to older works of the greats such as Goines and Slim. The subject matter certainly hasn't changed much, but the general quality of many a writer's craft has. Granted, most of this has been drawn from cursory glances at offerings in the genre, but I presently work daily to develop my breadth of knowledge.

First, the good. The author, Ebony Stroman, appears to have an instinctual grasp of the writer's essentials, working from a story by Dante Clarke. As a result, the weak areas in her craft are easily overlooked because of the strength of the storytelling. It is engaging, particularly in illustrating Prince's lowly beginnings from a petty crook to small-time drug connection. Characters such as Wise reel the reader in, making the reader desire to learn more, hear more of what he has to offer. Stroman cleverly employs a variety of narrative devices which engage the reader on a subconscious level and generally knows how to keep them there. Her dynamic style in this tale could easily translate to a variety of mediums. I'd love to learn more information about her background and writing process.

That being said, the book suffers from the usual urban fiction conventions, although not many. Yet, it could have been avoided with a bit of proofreading and judicious editing. With the few misspelled words and punctuation errors, it was disheartening to find them whenever I did. The tense used during most of the book was awkward and switched often enough to be noticeable, but not completely confusing. The scene of graphic violence in the climax could have been stronger if the same care used in constructing sexual passages had been used in building the elements of the violence. This critique is not unique to the writer's ability, but to first outings in general.

In closing, I believe that this will all improve, the good and the bad, with experience and this should not discourage one from reading this, but encourage to read, enjoy, and watch the progress of the author. Stroman is a very promising writer with a strong first outing. I look forward to future work from her and Clarke.